Self-Rolling Yoga Mat Solves The Problem You Didn’t Know You Had

This image is positively mesmerizing. A self-rolling yoga mat? It’s one of those age old things: you didn’t know you had a problem until someone suggested a solution. Like you didn’t know there was so much trouble in rolling up your mat until you find out there’s one that does it automatically. This is what the YoYo Mat can do for you.

It’s yoyo-like, sure, but we love the slap bracelet imagery Gizmodo conjured up (remember the 90s craze?) because that’s pretty much exactly how it works. It’s a big old slap bracelet you can practice yoga on, which really is kind of genius when you think about it.

old school slap bracelet! | image via buzzfeed.com

The YoYo Mat has thin metal pieces inside that stay flat when the mat is open, then curl up when you flip it over, rolling up your mat. This completely removes the need for a strap or tie to keep the mat rolled, and it also helps the mat stand up straight and stay rolled. We can see how this could be a convenient bonus, but we can also see the potential issues. For instance, the mat can’t be folded and used for, say, cushion under elbows in headstand, and you always have to use the same side. Some mats are reversible which can come in handy – if you wear out one side, you can flip to the other, assuming you clean your mat on a semi-regular basis.

We’ve seen some wild things happening in the world of yoga mat innovations and it’s sort of neat to observe. While you could practice yoga right on your floor if need be, and some people prefer it, it’s not surprising yoga mat technology is keeping up with the times.

The creators of the YoYo Mat are currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter to get their project rolling (ahem). For $10 you can treat your nostalgic self to a 2015-version slap bracelet, which has hopefully been improved since the 90s and won’t be banned for cutting people’s wrists like they were back in the day. The mats themselves can be claimed for a $79 “early bird” perk price.

The campaign has already raised over 80% of the $50,000 goal, so apparently rolling up your own mat is more of a problem than we thought.